Method for monitoring the functions and increasing the operational reliability of a safety-relevant control system

• US 20060156073A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Kascha, Reinhold, Fachinger, Georg
• Granted Patent: US 7,650,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/404 Brake-by-wire or X-by-wire failsafe
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/408 Hierarchical failure detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/413 Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry

Abstract

A method for monitoring the functions and increasing the operational reliability of a complex safety-relevant control system, e.g. a motor vehicle control system, such as a brake system (ABS, TCS, ESP, EHB, EMB), a steering aid (‘steering-by-wire’), etc., and for detecting and evaluating system errors comprises the steps of: detecting a system error and evaluation as a group error, bringing about a complete system degradation or a partial system degradation corresponding to the group error, e.g. limitation of the system functions and the system availability, localizing the system error and the error source by tests, logical combining of the test results, plausibility considerations, etc. and gradually canceling the restrictions of the system functions and enhancing the system availability in dependence on the result of the individual steps for bounding or localizing the system error and the error source.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for monitoring the functions and increasing the operational reliability of a complex safety-relevant vehicle control system, and for detecting and evaluating system errors,

the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a system error and evaluation as a group error,

bringing about a system degradation corresponding to the group error by restricting system functions,

localizing the system error and the error source by at least one of the functions out of the group consisting of tests, logical combining of the test results and plausibility considerations, and

gradually canceling the restrictions of the system functions and enhancing the system availability in dependence on the result of the individual steps for localizing the system error and the error source.

3. A safety-relevant control system comprising means for monitoring its functions and increasing their operational reliability and for detecting and evaluating system errors,

the means being capable of performing the steps of:

detecting a system error and evaluation as a group error,

bringing about a system degradation corresponding to the group error by restricting system functions,

localizing the system error and the error source by at least one of the functions out of the group consisting of tests, logical combining of the test results and plausibility considerations, and

gradually canceling the restrictions of the system functions and enhancing the system availability in dependence on the result of the individual steps for localizing the system error and the error source.